Scientists from the archaeological team Oxford Cotswold Archeology, working on excavations in Great Britain, discovered 11th-century silver coins that were packed in a lead shell. The treasure was discovered at the construction site of the Sizewell C nuclear power plant on the North Sea coast.
oxfordcotswoldarchaeology.org.uk/news
Silver coins from the 11th century were encased in lead.
How TBC on the group’s website, 319 coins is a penny, two is a halfpenny. They were issued between 1036 and 1044. The money was placed inside a textile wallet (it had almost completely decayed) and then packed in lead. Scientists explained that for the time when the coins were minted, this is a huge amount. “Most likely, the money belonged to a person with influence at the local level, perhaps a wealthy farmer. He could have used it to buy 16 cows – a small herd,” the archaeologists noted.
Coins were issued during the reigns of Harold I “Harefoot” (1036-1040), Hardecnut (1040-1042) and Edward the Confessor (1042-1066). They were minted at more than 30 different mints: 40% in London, the rest in various cities of England, including Ipswich, Bedford, Cambridge, Lincoln, Stamford, Langport. In those days, money was not issued in a single design: designs and sizes changed every ten years. Old coins were sent for recycling. There are four types of pennies in the treasure found.
Scientists suggest that the owner decided to hide the capital due to the social instability that existed in the country after the accession of Edward the Confessor to the throne in 1042. He is known for confiscating the property of several high-born residents, after which others began to fear a similar fate.
Source: rodina-history.ru
